In the General Motors' Electro-Motive Division time line, 1954 holds significance for two important events. In that year, the manufacturer produced its 15,000th locomotive and introduced the 1,750-h.p. SD9. The road switcher was produced until 1959. Basically an elongated - and, some might say, handsomer - version of EMD's very popular GP9, the SD9 spread the same horsepower over two additional axles, resulting in a lower loading on each axle. This made the engine more suitable for use on light rail and in situations requiring power at low speeds, such as hump yard service.